Deshawn Laporte had two incredible seasons as Burbank’s quarterback. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
By Rick Assad
After two wildly successful seasons as Burbank High’s quarterback, Deshawn Laporte has decided to leave the program and will play the position for Quartz Hill in Lancaster.
It can be argued that Laporte, who threw for 3,900 yards and completed 223 of 331 and 54 touchdowns with six interceptions this past season, is one of the top two or three best quarterbacks in school history and is likely the most athletic.
What set Laporte, who has committed to play for Delaware State, apart is his innate ability to evade oncoming rushers and still make plays.
Laporte, who holds the season and career record in passing yards and touchdowns thrown, could move around and still unload his patented sidearm tosses with accuracy or if they weren’t open take off and run with the football as he also accounted for 414 yards rushing on 85 carries with one touchdown.
Hector Valencia has been the head coach twice and has been Laporte’s coach.
“I wish him the best of luck at his new school,” he said. “He’s athletic and he’s hard to sack. He could extend plays.”
Laporte had outstanding players in Elijah Pendleton, Chase Miles, Exodus Freeman and Tyler Hudson as receivers.
“He did a good job of getting the ball to the playmakers,” Valencia said. “He could run but he was a pass first quarterback.”
The Bulldogs defeated San Dimas in the opening game of the season but were tagged with a forfeit after using an illegal player.
The other regular-season setbacks came against Muir 58-28 and in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division VI playoffs to Roosevelt [Eastvale] 14-13.
This past season, the Bulldogs went 9-3 and had a 6-1 record in the Pacific League for second place behind the Mustangs.
In his sophomore campaign, the Bulldogs also finished 9-3 and also went 6-1 in league, as Laporte passed for 2,368 yards on 160 for 248 and 28 scoring passes with five picks.
That season Laporte ran for 525 yards on 51 carries and found the end zone on 11 occasions.
This one isn’t going to fade away in the minds of the Burbank High football family very easily.
But the Bulldogs can hope this loss translates into a learned lesson for the program moving forward.
Burbank had one foot into the CIF Southern Section Division 6 semifinals, but had a hiccup or two and ended up losing 14-13 on the road at Roosevelt High of Eastvale in a second-round contest.
“We had an opportunity to take a two-touchdown lead at the end of the game, but we got a little selfish and cocky and it brings the play back,” Burbank coach Hector Valencia said.
Burbank’s Elijah Pendleton intercepted Roosevelt quarterback Blake Nadler and returned it 90 yards for what appeared to be what would have been the nail in the coffin.
Burbank (9-3) would have had a two-touchdown lead with less than two minutes to play.
But the Bulldogs were penalized as a player stayed on top of a Roosevelt player on the ground for too long, resulting in a flag being thrown.
“That play was not even close to the play. It is what it is. At the end of the day, the team that made less errors wins,” Valencia said.
Instead of a touchdown, Burbank, which was penalized 160 yards, was given the ball at its own 15-yard-line.
A few plays later, Burbank had to punt the ball away back to Roosevelt.
Ja’iris Shaw scored the winning touchdown with 22.5 seconds to play on a 9-yard pass from Nadler. The extra point by Roosevelt kicker Kaden Lovell proved to be the difference.
Roosevelt (7-5) actually finished in last place in the Big West League. But the league is led by Division 1 school Corona Centennial and featured three more schools that were in the CIF Division 2 playoffs.
“We play in probably the toughest public school league in the nation,” Roosevelt coach Aaron Crone said. “I’m proud of our guys for playing all four quarters. This week I told them it is going to take all four quarters. Burbank is a great team and has a lot of great players.”
Roosevelt got on the board late in the third quarter, as Aidan Quintanar scored on a 3-yard run.
Both teams played stellar defense as big plays were kept to a minimum.
Burbank broke a scoreless tie with 9:28 left in the first half when Deshawn Laporte found Tyler Hudson on a 25-yard touchdown pass.
The Bulldogs went up 13-0 at the 9:13 mark of the third quarter when Laporte and Chase Miles hooked up on a 31-yard touchdown pass.
Burbank’s defense intercepted a combined four passes from Roosevelt’s two quarterbacks. Pendleton and sophomore Diego Placarte each had two interceptions.
Deshawn Laporte had 321 passing yards, and three touchdown throws in a 52-43 CIF Division VI first-round playoff victory over Lancaster. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
By Rick Assad
It was up-tempo from the start and it took three hours to compete but every minute was worth it as host Burbank High took on Lancaster which proved a worthy opponent in its CIF Southern Section Division VI opening-round playoff game at Memorial Field.
Each team scored during the four-quarter affair, and each played with energy and skill and when it concluded, the Bulldogs earned a 52-43 victory on Friday night.
Burbank will play on the road next Friday at Riverside Roosevelt in a second-round game which knocked off previously unbeaten Crespi 33-24.
Hector Valencia is Burbank’s head coach and appreciated what he saw during those tense four periods.
“They had one of the fastest offenses we’ve seen in a while,” he explained. “Their tempo got us off guard and it took us a bit to settle down and start playing at that tempo but once we did the defense held their own.”
Burbank had six interceptions and sophomore wide receiver/cornerback/safety Diego Plancarte had four and each were a crucial element to the win.
Elijah Pendleton accounted for 151 receiving yards on eight receptions for the Bulldogs. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
“The interceptions were key,” Valencia added. “We knew that if we got them out of their running game, things would balance out in our favor.”
The usual suspects were present in the spotlight for the Bulldogs (9-3) as junior quarterback Deshawn Laporte threw three touchdowns and all three went to junior wide receiver Tyler Hudson, who had 10 catches for 143 yards.
“We played well. We had ups and downs but we all got everything straight and came out with the win,” said Laporte, who completed 20 of 32 attempts for 321 yards and one interception.
Laporte’s first scoring toss was a 34-yarder and came with 8:52 left in the first quarter and gave the Bulldogs a 7-6 lead.
Laporte’s second touchdown throw was a 12-yard and occurred with 4:57 remaining in the same frame and made it 14-6.
Laporte then found Hudson with a 22-yard strike with just under a minute left in the third period for a 45-29 advantage.
Burbank wide receiver Elijah Pendleton, who had an interception, caught eight passes for 151 yards and also added a 46-yard scoring gallop at 9:00 before halftime as Burbank led 21-14.
Junior running back/linebacker Troy Wells tacked on a pair of scoring runs for the Bulldogs as the hosts charged ahead 27-21 on his 10-yard run burst with 4:05 on the clock in the second quarter.
Wells tossed in a one-yard run with 3:19 left on the clock in the third period for a 38-29 lead. Laporte also found senior wide receiver Exodus Freeman (10 yards on one catch) on a two-point conversion pass.
Diego Plancarte picked off four passes for Burbank which had six overall against Lancaster. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
“Troy had an outstanding game for us at running back and it helped balance our offense so it was not just the pass they had to stop,” Valencia stated.
For good measure, senior Ryan Mendoza nailed a 30-yard field goal with 2:09 left before the intermission as Burbank marched ahead 30-21.
Burbank senior wide receiver Chase Miles had one reception for 17 yards and one interception.
“From the first, we loved running man blitzes against their offense because we believed their quarterback struggled under pressure,” Miles said. “We sent blitzes to neutralize their running game and force their quarterback to make uncomfortable throws.”
Miles knew that Burbank would be able to move the ball and score points.
“Offensively as the game progressed, we liked running the ball more and more as it was hard for their defense to stop it,” he said.
Junior wide receiver/cornerback Ronald Gordon also chipped in with a fumble recovery for the Bulldogs.
Lancaster quarterback senior Michael Marsenich tossed three touchdown passes and added a scoring run but was picked off six times.
Marsenich had a 16-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jaheim Redmond as 10:36 remained in the first quarter for a 6-0 lead for the Eagles (8-3).
Marsenich then found senior wide receiver Jayson Wilson on a 21-yard rocket late in the first period that evened it as 14-14. Senior running back/safety Jacob Walker added a two-point run and also contributed an interception.
Marsenich unloaded a 45-yard pass to senior wide receiver Chace Beoranje with 1:28 left in the second frame and sophomore running back Joziah Davis added a two-point run that drew Lancaster within 30-29.
Marsenich scored on an eight-yard keeper with 7:25 left in the fourth quarter and senior running back Arthur Turner added a two-point run for the Eagles who came within 52-43.
Lancaster’s sophomore wide receiver Terrance Harper had a 65-yard kickoff return with just under nine minutes left in the second period that evened it at 21-21.
Turner struck again and this time it was a 55-yard sprint late in the third period that saw Lancaster get within 45-35.
There have been some close games and upsets in the Burbank-Burroughs football series that dates back to 1949.
But that was not the case Thursday night when the teams met at Memorial Field in the regular season finale.
Burbank scored on the first play from scrimmage and were in complete command from start to finish in a 62-14 Pacific League victory.
“Defensively, I like the way they played,” Burbank coach Hector Valencia said. “Offensively we knew we were going to click.”
Burbank’s offense did more than just click. Quarterback Deshawn Laporte completed 24 of 26 passes for 464 yards and seven touchdowns.
“The team executed real well. We came out and played hard and got the W,” Laporte said.
Burbank (8-2, 6-1 in league) needed just 15 seconds to score as Elijah Pendleton took one of Laporte’s baby passes and went 65 yards for the touchdown.
The Bulldogs scored three more times in the first quarter. Pendleton scored his second touchdown on a 20-yard pass. Exodus Freeman scored on a 37-yard touchdown with 2:58 left in the first quarter and Chase Miles scored on the final play of the quarter, a 17-yard pass from Laporte.
Tyler Hudson scored on a 13-yard screen pass with 2:30 left in the first half to make it 34-0.
Kaylem Valencia intercepted a pass by Burroughs quarterback Brandon Chapparo and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half.
Burbank led 42-0 at halftime.
“The way they play at that level is amazing. We need to do that if we want to play at that level,” Burroughs coach Jose Calzadilla said of Burbank.
Burbank received a 75-yard touchdown from Laporte to Miles with 4:46 left in the third quarter.
Burroughs (3-7, 3-4 in league) finally got on the board with 3:30 left in the third period as Chapparo scored on a 4-yard run.
Burbank added another touchdown before the end of the quarter as Tyler Hudson had an incredible run that saw him elude a number of tackles before going 26 yards into the end zone.
Burroughs added a touchdown with 6:41 remaining, as Troy Acosta scored on an 8-yard run.
Chapparo led Burroughs with 76 yards rushing. The Bears also got 59 yards from Sho Fujita.
Burbank will find out its fate for the CIF playoffs on Sunday when pairings will be released.
Burbank junior quarterback Deshawn Laporte had seven scoring passes in a 69-0 win over Hoover. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
By Rick Assad
Quickness on the perimeter and quick-strike scoring ability dominated the action when the Burbank High football team hosted Hoover at Kemp-Kallem Field on Friday night.
Quarterback Deshawn Laporte unloaded seven touchdown passes and Elijah Pendelton grabbed three and Chase Miles snared two while Exodus Freeman and Tyler Hudson each caught one en route to a 69-0 thrashing in a Pacific League game.
Burbank football head coach Hector Valencia was pleased at the lopsided triumph.
“Defensively I liked the reaction,” he explained. “Players got their assignments and played fast because they knew what was asked of them. A few big [scoring] plays got called back, but the team reacted by just doing another one.”
The Bulldogs played offense, defense and special teams with focus and determination.
“All three teams did great. Special teams as well,” Valencia said. “With some big returns and capitalizing on a kick down field and getting it back.”
The Bulldogs led at halftime 49-0 and waltzed to an easy win over the Tornadoes. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
The Bulldogs took a 14-0 lead into the second quarter and after tallying five touchdowns led 49-0 at the intermission.
Burbank (6-2 and 4-1 in league) tacked on three touchdowns in the second half and kept Hoover (2-6 and 0-5 in league) from getting into the end zone.
Laporte’s 26-yard scoring pass to Miles (three catches for 61 yards), a senior wide receiver/cornerback, with 1:43 left in the first period made it 14-0 and capped a 65-yard, four-play march.
When Laporte tossed a 46-yard scoring toss to Pendleton (94 yards on four receptions), a senior wide receiver/cornerback, with 8:48 remaining in the second half, the Bulldogs were in charge 28-0 after the march consumed 46 yards on two plays.
Laporte added an 11-yard strike to Pendleton thirty-five seconds later as the lead swelled to 35-0 and ended a 26-yard, two-play trek and came after a kickoff that the Bulldogs recovered after the Tornadoes were slow in reacting to field it.
When Freeman (50 yards on two catches), a senior wide receiver/slotback, grabbed a 10-yarder from Laporte midway through the second frame, Burbank led 42-0 on the one-play, 10-yard drive after Pendleton’s 49-yard punt return.
Laporte’s 26-yarder to Pendleton with twenty-two seconds left in the same period made it 49-0 and followed a 75-yard, nine-play drive.
Burbank passed and ran with the football effectively versus Hoover in a Pacific League game. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
“I liked how we came out as a team and executed,” said Laporte, a junior who completed 12 of 19 attempts for 269 yards and no interceptions.
With a running clock for much of the second half, Laporte drilled Miles with a 20-yard bullet as 9:45 remained in the third quarter as Burbank’s advantage became 56-0 and climaxed a five-play, 65-yard march.
Hudson (64 yards on three catches), a junior wide receiver/outside linebacker/safety, snared Laporte’s last scoring pass, a 45-yarder with 3:47 left in the third period as the margin became 62-0 that concluded a 47-yard, two-play excursion.
Burbank turned in two interceptions into touchdowns as senior wide receiver/cornerback Noah May-Vaughn returned an errant pass into a 58-yard score with 9:03 remaining in the first period for a 7-0 lead and after senior wide receiver/linebacker/safety Johnny Sale added a 52-yarder early in the second quarter it became 21-0.
Burbank’s final tally of the evening was a 10-yard burst from junior running back/linebacker Troy Wells with 8:55 left for a 69-0 cushion and finalized a two-play, 38-yard march.
Burbank’s next action will be Friday versus Glendale at Moyse Field in a league game with a 7:00 p.m. start.
There are three more games left in the regular season and the Burbank High football team knows where it stands, virtually in the CIF Southern Section playoffs.
Friday night host Burbank won the battle of the Bulldogs, 35-14, over Pasadena in a game that was essentially for second place in the Pacific League.
Burbank’s next two games are against Hoover and Glendale, both of which are winless in league.
So now Burbank will aim to work on eliminating the few mistakes that it did make, most of which were on penalties.
“We try to focus on making plays when we’re supposed to and capitalize on mistakes from the other team,” Burbank coach Hector Valencia said.
Valencia said keeping his team sharp will be a challenge in the final weeks of the regular season.
“We have to run our offense in the first half. We cannot just stop practicing and competing,” Valencia said of the idea of playing in some lopsided games.
Burbank (5-2 overall, 3-1 in league) got on the board early against Pasadena as Elijah Pendleton scored on a 12-yard pitch from Deshawn Laporte with 10:29 left in the first quarter.
Pendleton added a second touchdown later in the quarter to give Burbank a 14-0 lead.
Burbank took a 21-7 lead with 6:43 left in the first half when Laporte hooked up with Tyler Hudson on a 1-yard touchdown pass.
Laporte hooked up with Chase Miles on a 13-yard touchdown with 2:20 left in the first half.
Burbank added a third-quarter touchdown when Laporte hooked up with Johnny Sale on a 19-yard pass.
Pasadena (4-3, 3-1) added a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, a 1-yard run by Synncere Pitts.
Defensively Burbank was solid, intercepting Pasadena quarterback Dutch Burbidge three times.
Miles, Noah May-Vaughn and Kaylem Valencia each had an interception.
Burbank quarterback Deshawn Laporte stood tall in defeat versus Muir. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
By Rick Assad
It’s late September and the Pacific League champion may have been crowned when Burbank High’s football team hosted powerful Muir on Friday night.
When the clock hit triple zeroes at jammed-packed Kemp-Kallem Field on a brisk evening, the Mustangs emerged with a convincing 58-28 triumph over the Bulldogs.
Burbank turned the ball over on two interceptions and had a fumble that was returned for a 22-yard touchdown by junior lineman/tight end Jason Brown with 8:25 left in the second period for a 28-7 lead.
Burbank junior quarterback Deshawn Laporte’s 15-yard pass to senior wide receiver/strong safety Chase Miles (45 yards on two receptions) early in the third quarter, made the score 35-21.
“It was a tough loss last night. As a team we didn’t play our best,” Miles explained. “We game-planned for their offense all week but couldn’t execute in the game. We just have to bounce back from this loss and learn from our mistakes for next week.”
Muir led 14-7 after the first quarter and the visitors were in front 35-14 at halftime. The Mustangs also took a 45-28 advantage heading to the fourth period.
Hector Valencia is Burbank’s head coach and even in defeat, thought his field general played hard.
“Deshawn did a good job getting away from their really good defensive line,” he said of his signal-caller who hit 19 of 36 for 324 yards and two picks.
Muir showed its might by tallying a 27-yard field goal with 7:47 left in the third quarter by senior Matthew Zuniga to make it 38-21 and added three touchdowns over the next twenty-three minutes.
Laporte’s 30-yard scoring toss to Miles evened the game at 7-7 with 5:20 left in the opening frame.
Elijah Pendleton carries the ball for the Bulldogs against a tough and swarming Mustang defense. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
The Bulldogs (3-2 and 1-1 in league) drew within 28-14 on a Laporte to senior wide receiver/cornerback Elijah Pendleton (18 yards on two receptions) 12-yard pass and 2:26 remaining in the opening half.
Laporte unloaded his fourth scoring pass with 5:22 left in the third period when he found sophomore wide receiver/safety Tyler Hudson (175 yards on eight catches) on a 37-yard aerial as Burbank came within 38-28.
“We had a good week of practice and the team was prepared to face Muir,” Valencia said. “Unfortunately turnovers really hurt us today, plus a few critical penalties that killed some drives. Our players were in position on most of the big plays they had. They simply just out hustled us.”
Valencia explained what it takes to beat a team like the Mustangs.
“Muir just does not have many weaknesses, so if you make a small mistake, they capitalize on it really fast,” he said.
Muir senior quarterback Trey Gamble also threw four touchdowns and his first came on a five-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver/defensive back Ethan Leyland as 9:44 was left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.
With 1:31 left before halftime, Gamble (14 of 20 for 290 yards) found senior wide receiver/defensive back Alijah Smith (147 yards on five receptions) on a 63-yard strike for a 35-14 advantage.
When Gamble and Smith hooked up on a 28-yard toss and 1:55 left in the third quarter, the Mustangs (4-1 and 2-0 in league) led 45-28.
Deshawn Laporte threw four touchdowns in a 58-28 setback to the Mustangs. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
Gamble’s last scoring toss went to junior Deveon Blaylock (111 yards on five catches) and covered 38 yards and made it 52-28 with 8:41 left.
Muir moved ahead 14-7 late in the first quarter on a one-yard jaunt by junior running back/linebacker David Cannon.
Senior running back/defensive back Alijah Parker (11 carries for 60 yards) tacked on a nine-yard scoring run for the Mustangs that made it 21-7 and 8:45 left in the first half.
Senior wide receiver Exodus Freeman had 66 yards on five receptions and junior tight end/middle linebacker Aiden Dagher added 20 yards on two catches for the Bulldogs.
Leyland had the first interception for the Mustangs and junior wide receiver/defensive back Drew Long had the other.
Burbank’s next league game will be against host Arcadia on Friday with a 7 p.m. start.
The Burbank High football team opened the Pacific League season like a thoroughbred horse seeking to win the Kentucky Derby.
While the pace didn’t continue for four quarters, the Bulldogs did enough to earn a 49-28 road victory at Crescenta Valley High.
Burbank (3-1) will now host Muir next Friday, in what figures to be its toughest test during the regular season.
“The main thing is we got out of this game with no injuries. We had a lot of injuries to some people who didn’t play today. We’re hoping next week we get a couple of guys back,” Burbank coach Hector Valencia said.
The Bulldogs put up 28 points in the first quarter.
Deshawn Laporte had another fine effort. He finished 12 of 23 for 242 yards with three touchdowns and just one interception.
Receiver Tyler Hudson caught all but two of his passes. Hudson finished with 10 receptions for 184 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Elijah Pendleton had nine carries for 94 yards and a touchdown. Thomas Adzhemyan also turned in a fine effort on the offensive end as he had five carries for 76 yards and a touchdown.
Pendleton scored the first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run with 9:38 left in the first quarter.
Burbank got a break on the ensuing kickoff, jumping on a loose ball on an onsides kick by Ryan Mendoza.
Laporte and Exodus Freeman hooked up on the first play from scrimmage for a 53-yard touchdown.
CV (2-1) fought back as quarterback Xavier Thompson surprised Burbank when he hooked up with Nathan Karsten on a 62-yard touchdown pass.
Burbank responded quickly as Laporte hooked up with Hudson on a 44-yard touchdown with 7:19 left in the first quarter.
Adzhemyan added a 13-yard touchdown run later in the quarter.
After Burbank led 28-14 at halftime, Hudson scored on a 6-yard run with 9:12 left in the third quarter to push the advantage to a three-touchdown lead.
Pendleton later scored on a 3-yard touchdown reception.
Adzhemyan had a nifty 43-yard touchdown with 11:06 to play for the Bulldogs.
As lightning lit up the Northern Nevada sky, a different storm was brewing on the gridiron of Galena High School on Friday night, and that storm was Burbank Bulldogs star quarterback Deshawn Laporte.
While mother nature’s light show was far off in the distance, never truly threatening the action at hand, the threat of Burbank’s junior signal caller was ever present, as Laporte lit up the field like a firework display and put constant pressure on the opposing defense, leading the Bulldogs to a decisive 52-9 victory over the Galena Grizzlies.
It took four minutes and change for the Bulldogs to shake off the stiffness from the eight-hour drive north to Reno. The offense sputtered, with Laporte finishing the first drive just 1-of-6 for 23 yards and a sack, while the defense surrendered an eight-play, 53-yard Galena scoring drive capped off by a four-yard touchdown run by Grizzly quarterback Wyatt Lace. When the Grizzlies missed the extra point, however, and the score stayed at 6-0, that’s when the storm touched down.
Laporte lead the Burbank offense up and down the field at will, engineering five-straight touchdown drives and finishing the first half 14-of-23 for 290 yards and five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing).
Photo courtesy Neil Healy
As if things couldn’t get better for Burbank, special teams got involved with a 48-yard field goal as time expired. The Bulldogs, down 6-0 early, outscored the Grizzlies 38-3 in the first half.
The opening of the second half somewhat mirrored the first, with the Burbank offense coming out flat and giving Galena optimal field position and a ray of hope, but that hope was quickly snatched away.
Galena fumbled the ball away and senior cornerback Noah May-Vaughn returned it all the way back to the opponent’s 32-yard line.
Laporte quickly threw his fifth touchdown pass of the night, then threw his sixth on the following drive, and the route was safely secured.
Laporte’s final stat line was a gaudy 22-of-37 for 431 yards and seven total touchdowns (six passing, one rushing), and his three main wide receivers were key in breaking big plays open and keeping the Galena defense on its backfoot all night.
Junior Tyler Hudson lead all receivers with eight catches for 177 yards and added two touchdowns, while seniors Exodus Freeman (five catches, 140 yards, two touchdowns) and Elijah Pendleton (five catches, 73 yards, two touchdowns) also made big plays.
The Burbank defense, which bent early after giving up the early score, sprang back into form and suffocated the Galena offense before it could get in any kind of rhythm. Besides a few choppy moments, it was a complete team domination.
Burbank (2-1) has a bye next week. The Bulldogs will then travel to La Crescenta on September 19 to take on the Crescenta Valley Falcons (2-0). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
(Photo courtesy Neil HealyPhoto courtesy Neil HealyPhoto courtesy Neil HealyPhoto courtesy Neil HealyPhoto courtesy Neil Healy
Burbank’s Deshawn Laporte threw four touchdowns in a 41-27 win over visiting Westwood. (Photo courtesy Doug Brown)
By Rick Assad
One week ago, Burbank High’s football team traveled to San Dimas and emerged with a lopsided victory, but there was just one problem.
A few days later, it was revealed that an ineligible player had participated in the game for the Bulldogs and the win was forfeited.
On Friday night at Kemp-Kallem Field on the Burbank campus, the Bulldogs used a 27-point second half to tally a convincing 41-27 nonleague triumph over Westwood, which is located in Mesa, Arizona.
So for the record, this is the initial win of the season for Burbank (1-1).
Junior quarterback Deshawn Laporte, two-way threat, tossed four touchdown passes with two going to senior wide receiver Exodus Freeman (game-best 152 receiving yards on six catches).
Laporte also found Freeman with a 31-yard toss and 10:44 left in the fourth quarter for a 41-21 lead.
“Me and my team executed with a lot of energy and came out with a big win,” said Laporte, who finished on 22 of 47 for 367 yards and had 10 yards on eight rushes.
Thomas Adzhemyan scored a touchdown in the second half for the Bulldogs against the Warriors. (Photo courtesy Doug Brown)
Hector Valencia is in his second stint as the Burbank head coach and was impressed.
“I liked that the team rallied behind each other and about going for it on fourth down,” he said. “The defense looked over and said go for it. We got your back.”
Valencia knows he has a team that can score points quickly and a defense that rallies to the football.
“The defense caused some great turnovers with a few interceptions and fumble recoveries,” he said of the four turnovers by Westwood.
Valencia also had positive words for Laporte.
“Deshawn was a little frustrated and being forced out but managed to still get out for some yards but the other team did a great job containing him,” he said.
The Bulldogs (1-1) led 14-0 after the first quarter on a 10-yard strike from Laporte to senior Chase Miles (61 yards on five catches) with 5:55 and then unloaded a 31-yard bullet to Freeman with 1:53 left.
The Warriors (0-1) then scored three straight touchdowns as junior running back Keshawn Barkus (154 rushing yards on 21 carries) cut the lead to 14-7 with 6:21 remaining in the second period and came within 14-13 on a 25-yard run by Barkus with 4:05 left.
When Westwood senior quarterback Elliot Reed (12 of 37 for 125 yards and two interceptions) found senior tight end Preston Leavitt with a 12-yard toss and 38.6 second left before the intermission.
Burbank takes the field for a nonleague game against Westwood. (Photo courtesy Doug Brown)
Reed also drilled Leavitte with the two-point conversion pass for a 21-14 lead.
Laporte evened the game at 21-21 with 9:19 left in the third period on a 41-yard bomb to sophomore wide receiver/cornerback/strong safety Tyler Hudson (108 yards on seven catches).
Senior running back Thomas Adzhemyan added a six-yard scoring blast with 7:40 left in the third stanza for a 28-21 advantage.
Senior wide receiver/cornerback Elijah Pendleton (46 yards on four receptions) added a 50-yard scoring run with 5:52 in the third quarter to make it 34-21.
Reed’s six-yard scoring tally with 9:05 on the clock on the fourth frame sliced Burbank’s lead to 41-27.
Senior wide receiver/cornerback Noah May-Vaughn and junior tight end/middle linebacker Aiden Dagher each had one interception for the Bulldogs.
Burbank travels to Reno, Nevada to play a nonleague game next Friday versus Galena.
Friday night the Burbank High football team didn’t just win 56-28 over San Dimas, the Bulldogs did it over a program that hasn’t missed the CIF playoffs in more than two decades.
In just the season opener, the Bulldogs looked like a well-oiled machine ready for the playoffs.
“All the preparation that we’ve done, the kids know what they need to do,” Burbank coach Hector Valencia said. “They know how to get open and be in the positions that they need to be in. DeShawn (Laporte) did an outstanding job scrambling. He didn’t take a sack.”
Although Burbank (1-0) was for the most part in control throughout the contest, San Dimas did not go down easily.
The turning point in the contest came late in the third quarter when San Dimas threw a pass on a fake punt.
Burbank’s Chase Miles intercepted that pass and returned the ball to the San Dimas 19-yard-line. At the time Burbank led just 33-28.
“We were nervous because we were not stopping them at the beginning of the game. We capitalized on a couple of mistakes that they made,” Valencia said.
Four plays later Burbank went back in front by two scores when Elijah Pendleton scored on a 11-yard run.
The Bulldogs then recovered the ensuing kickoff as San Dimas appeared confused as to who was going to handle the kickoff. Burbank’s Adrian Albarran recovered the ball at the 32-yard-line.
Two plays later, Thoams Adzhemyan scored on a 7-yard run.
Burbank added a late touchdown when Laporte hooked up with Tyler Hudson on a 2-yard reception. Laporte finished 18 of 26 passing for 319 yards, with five touchdowns and just one interception.
Pendleton got things started by scoring on a 1-yard run with 5:36 left in the first quarter.
San Dimas got back on level terms late in the first quarter on a 4-yard by Liam Loyola.
Burbank responded less than a minute later as Laporte hooked up with Exodus Freeman on a 40-yard touchdown pass.
Pendleton scored on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Laporte early in the second quarter.
Later in the quarter Laporte hooked up with Diego Plancarte on a 30-yard touchdown pass.
Laporte and Freeman connected on a 5-yard touchdown with 8:21 left in the third quarter.
Burbank’s football team has unfinished business in 2025 after reaching the CIF Southern Section Division IX quarterfinals last year. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
By Rick Assad
There is unfinished business for the Burbank High football team after finishing 9-3 overall and reaching the CIF Southern Section Division IX quarterfinals a year ago.
The Bulldogs took on Highland at home and fell 42-28 which snapped a seven-game winning streak which included wins over Burroughs 42-21 in the regular-season finale and 47-42 against host Monrovia in the opening-round of the playoffs.
Hector Valencia is in his second tour of duty as Burbank’s head coach and expects the team to do well, especially in the Pacific League where the Bulldogs went 6-1 for second place behind Muir.
“I think the league should be more competitive this year. Coaches are getting more experience, and the new ones have experience,” he said. “Muir should be the favorite with the skills they have coming back but we have quite a few returners ourselves and plan to fight for the championship and we will not shy away from the competition.”
Having a full team and it being healthy is the key to the season, according to Valencia.
“We need to stay healthy and get the ball to your playmakers and fly to the ball on defense,” he stated.
Coincidentally, the Bulldogs will play every game on campus except the season finale versus city rival Burroughs on October 30.
On September 5, Burbank will travel to Reno, Nevada, to face Galena. All the games on the schedule start at 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs have a strong offensive arsenal and should be able to compete for the Pacific League championship. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
The Bulldogs have several skilled players at key positions including junior quarterback Deshawn Laporte, who accounted for 39 touchdowns after tossing 28 through the air and 11 rushing.
“My expectation for the team is to win the league, go to the CIF championship and then go to state,” he said. “Expectations for myself are being a leader and leading my team to a CIF championship and more.”
Senior Elijah Pendleton played wide receiver and cornerback and averaged 50 receiving yards a game and finished with six scoring receptions in 2024
Pendleton also ran for 73 yards per contest and added seven scoring rushes and also collected two interceptions.
Sophomore wide receiver Tyler Hudson led the Bulldogs in receiving yards per game with 79.3 and added 11 scoring touchdowns.
Senior Chase Miles is a wide receiver and a safety and can play anywhere on the field.
“When it comes to competitiveness, I believe our will is very competitive this year because we still have a lot to prove,” he said. “After losing in the quarterfinals last year to Highland and then watching them win CIF, it made our whole team hungry and ready for this upcoming season.”
Miles likes the team assembled and believes there is enough talent and potential to go a long way.
“We still have a lot of returners and have gotten substantially better in the off-season, working out every day to improve ourselves,” he said.
The season kicks off tomorrow at San Dimas for the Bulldogs and then they host Westwood on August 29. After a bye, Burbank plays at Crescenta Valley on September 19.
Burbank’s defensive unit likes to swarm and go after the football. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
Burbank hosts Muir on September 26 and travels to Arcadia on October 3. The Bulldogs meet Pasadena at home on October 10. On October 17, the Bulldogs hosts Hoover and then make their way to Glendale on October 24.
The seniors include Exodus Freeman [wide receiver and slot back], William Magee [wide receiver and cornerback], Thomas Adzhemyan [running back and strong safety], Paolo Seltenreich [tight end and defensive end], Johnny Sale [wide receiver, linebacker and safety] and Noah May-Vaughn [wide receiver and cornerback].
The rest of the seniors are Giordan Lewis [wide receiver and outside linebacker], Ryan Honore [wide receiver and cornerback], Adrian Albarran [defensive back], Ryan Mendoza [kicker], Matthew Winn [offensive line and defensive end], David Saroyan [center, guard and defensive line] and Anthony Torres [offensive line and nose guard].
The juniors on the team include Giovanni Bernardo, [running back and outside linebacker], Kaylem Valencia [fullback and outside linebacker], Nico Santillan [running back and outside linebacker], Troy Wells [running back and middle linebacker], Aiden Dagher [tight end and middle linebacker], Alan Garcia [wide receiver], Ronald Gordon [wide receiver and cornerback] and Soundwavyve Sayles [defensive end].
The other juniors are Kordell White [defensive back], Onik Chalkdzhyan [wide receiver and defensive back], Juan Huezo [center, guard and defensive line], Jack Aguilar [offensive and defensive line], Nick Gonzalez [offensive and defensive line], Jehad Altayab [offensive line and nose guard] and Hayk Torgomyan [guard and defensive line].
The sophomores are Diego Plancarte [wide receiver, cornerback and strong safety], Cassius Maydew [wide receiver and defensive back], Gavin Azizian [wide receiver and defensive back], Marc Naiem [defensive end], Juaquin Ruacho [running back and middle linebacker], Aiden Loveranes [offensive line and defensive end] and Harry Molia [tackle and defensive end].
